Is the Trump approach of China working? I do not think so - Sara Hsu

Sara Hsu

US president Donald Trump has been going aggressively after China as a trade partner. But is it working? Political analyst Sara Hsu does not think so, she explains in Forbes."From the Boston tea party to the Smoot Hawley tariffs imposed during the Great Depression, protectionist measures have always imposed far higher costs than benefits."

Sara Hsu:

The aggressive Trump stance hasn't worked because Chinese diplomacy is nuanced and officials do not use threats as a negotiation tactic. The Chinese generally negotiate through reciprocity, which is why we saw Xi Jinping making concessions on automobile tariffs. Within the philosophy of Confucianism, Chinese negotiators attempt to avoid conflict and save face, or show mutual respect. Relationship building is essential, and the bonds of the relationship are not meant to be broken. 

If pushed, however, the Chinese often use silence or long negotiation processes as a response tactic. Chinese negotiators may also attempt to use a response that targets the weakness of the counterparty, especially if the counterparty is not viewed as civilized or friendly. The Chinese Thirty-Six Strategems calls for using specific tactics to deal with a hostile party, which including "wait at leisure while the enemy labors" and "watch the fires burning across the river." Chinese officials indeed waited to respond to Trump's bluster and hoped that he would wear himself down by griping and tweeting about his issues with the Asian nation. 

China's strategy appears to be working in the sense that the nation has, to some extent, benefited from Trump's aggressive mentality. Its diplomatic response has been calculated and staid. As Trump rants and raves about China, Chinese officials have emphasized the need for cooperation. It couldn't be clearer who is speaking the voice of reason. If Trump had a better knowledge of economics, he would realize that history has shown that trade showdowns don't work. From the Boston tea party to the Smoot Hawley tariffs imposed during the Great Depression, protectionist measures have always imposed far higher costs than benefits.

More in Forbes.

Sara Hsu is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form. 

Are you looking for more experts on the US-China trade war at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.   

What I want with "What Chinese Want"- Tom Doctoroff

Tom Doctoroff

Advertising veteran Tom Doctoroff explains in the China Observer his motives for writing his latest book "What Chinese Want: Culture, Communism and the Modern Chinese Consumer." On the timeless feature of a uniting Confucian conflict.

Tom Doctoroff:

I think What Chinese Want is a broader book, perhaps a more ambitious one. I start with a fairly long chapter on the Chinese “worldview” (“Old Pipes, New Palace”) as a framing device for the entire book. I argue that Chinese society has always been and will continue to be characterized by a unifying “Confucian conflict” between ambition and regimentation, standing out and fitting in, projection of status and protection of economic interests. In this chapter I outline “timeless” characteristics of Chinese culture as well as enduring strengths and weaknesses. In subsequent chapters, I interpret these characteristics across four “domains” of contemporary culture that include business, consumerism, social structures and engagement with the world. At the same time, I hope to reconcile the most modern and dynamic elements in China, from digital behavior to luxury fixation to the PRC’s relationship with America, with enduring cultural imperatives. I believe Chinese society is becoming modern and internationalized but not Western.  Much of What Chinese Want focuses on how Western influences – for example, Christmas and diamond engagement rings — are transformed into vessels of Chinese culture as status projectors in a society in which self-driven individualism remains a tempting but dangerous aspiration and individuals do not define themselves independent of their responsibilities and obligations to others.

More in The China Observer.

What does Google want in China? A public hangout on Thursday 12 July. 

 Tom Doctoroff is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

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